58th Congress, \ SENATE. /Report 

Sd Session. J \ No. 4397. 



PROCEEDINGS 



IN CONNECTION WITH THE 



FORMAL PRESENTATION OF A REPRODUCTION 



BUST OF WASHINGTON 



CERTAIN CITIZENS OF THE REPUBLIC OF FRANCE. 



March 3, 1905. — Submitted by Mr. Wetmore, from the Joint Committee on tht 

Library, and ordered to be printed (in accordance with the 

joint resolution IS. Res. 36} of April 28, 1904). 



WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 

1905. 



^^^ 



Wa^agtottUyia 



J'JL 10 I9Ud 
D.otU, 



PROCEEDINGS IN CONNECTION WITH THE FORMAL 
PRESENTATION OF A REPRODUCTION OF A BUST 
OF WASHINGTON BY CERTAIN CITIZENS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF FRANCE. 



The Joint Committee on the Library beg leave to report that, 
in obedience to the instructions contained in the joint resolu- 
tion of Congress approved April 28, 1904, the bronze bust of 
Washington presented to the Congress of the United States 
by the Count de Rochambeau, Marquis de Lafayette, Marquis 
de Grasse, Mr. Henry Jouin, and other citizens of France, was 
placed in a conspicuous position in the Rotunda of the Capitol. 

After conference with His Excellency Mr. J. J. Jusserand, the 
French ambassador, the 22d of February, 1905, Washington's 
Birthda}', was selected as the most appropriate occasion for its 
formal presentation. 

Shortly before 11 o'clock in the forenoon of that day, the 
French ambassador and Madame Jusserand were received at 
the central east entrance to the Capitol by the chairman of the 
Joint Committee on the Library, Hon. George Peabody Wet- 
more, and the chairman of the House Committee on the Li- 
brary, Hon. James T. McCleary, and conducted to the room of 
the Library Committee of the Senate, where were assembled 
the other members of the Joint Committee, consisting of Hon. 
Henry C. Hansbrough, Hon. John F. Dryden, Hon. William 
A. Clark, and Hon. Arthur P. Gorman, on the part of the Sen- 
ate, and Hon. Samuel W. McCall, Hon. James P. Conner, Hon. 
James D. Richardson, and Hon. William M. Howard, on the 
part of the House of Representatives. 

3 



4 Presentation of a Bust of J I \isJiiiigton. 

CEREMONIES IN THE ROTUNDA. 

The party then proceeded to the Rotunda, where they were 
received by the President pro tempore of the Senate, Hon. Wil- 
hani P. Frye, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
Hon. Joseph G. Cannon, and the Vice-President-elect, Hon. 
Charles W. Fairbanks. In the Rotunda were assembled many 
Senators, Representatives, and citizens. 

The bust was appropriately draped, the American and French 
flags being used for that purpose. 

By invitation of the Joint Committee, Madame Jusserand 
pulled the cord, the flags moved gracefully apart, and the bust 
was revealed. For a moment the large assemblage gazed in- 
tently at the noble features of WAvSHIngton, and then spon- 
taneously burst into hearty applause, which seemed an expres- 
sion of affection for the Father of his Country, approval of 
the work of the artist, and appreciation of the spirit of good 
will on the part of France which prompted the gift. 

Stepping forward, Ambassador Jusserand placed in the bronze 

receptacle on the front of the stela a handsomely bound book, 

saying- — 

By order of my Government, and in accordance with the wish of the sub- 
scribers, I place within this statue the book which contains the records 
concerning the gift now offered to Congress, in token of the enduring 
friendship of I'Vance for America. 

On the completion of this ceremony the official party, pre- 
ceded by a platoon of Capitol police and headed by the Ser- 
geants-at- Arms of the Senate and the Hou.se of Representatives, 
moved in procession to the room of the President of the 
United vStates in the Senate wing of the Capitol, where were 
assembled a niniiber of Senators, Representatives, and invited 
guests, including .several ladies. 

The President pro tempore of the vSenate took his .seat as pre- 
siding officer, the Speaker of the House occupying the chair on 
his left. 



As a fitting introduction to the formal addresses of the occa- 
sion, vSenator Wetniore read the joint rcsohitiou of Congress 
under which the exercises were being conducted, saying: 

Mr. President of the Senate, Mr. Speaker, Your Excellency: 
The President of the United States on April 28, 1904, approved 
the following joint resolution: 

JOINT RESOLUTION Accepting a reproduction of the bust of Washington from 
certain citizens of tlie Republic of France, and tendering the thanks of Congress 
to the donors therefor. 

Whereas Count de Rochainbeau, Marquis de Lafayette, Marquis de 
Grasse, Mr. Henry Jouin, and other citizens of France, have tendered to 
the Government of the United vStates a reproduction of the bust of Wash- 
ington, by David d'.Vni^ers. which was destroyed in the fire at the Capi- 
tol in 185 1, to be placed in the Capitol of the United .States: Therefore, 

Rcso/'c'cd hv the Senate and House of Representatives of t/ie I 'nited 
States of Ameriea in Congress assonbted. That said jjjift is hereby 
accepted in the name of the people of the ITnited .States, and the thanks 
of Congress are tendered to the donors therefor. 

vSec. 2. That the Joint Committee on the Library are hereby instructed 
to make arrangements for the formal presentation of said gift to Congress, 
on a day to be hereafter fixed by said conmiittee, and that said committee 
shall cause said bust to be placed in an appropriate and conspicuous place 
in the Capitol building. 

vSec. 3. That the Secretary of State l^e directed to transmit a copy of 
this joint resolution to the donors, through the Government of the French 
Republic. 



6 Presentation of a Bust of Washington. 

PRESENTATION OF THE BUST. 

His excellenc)- the French ambassador, Mr. Jusserand, made 
formal presentation of the bust in the following address: 

Mr. President of the Senate, Mr. Speaker, gentlemen of the 
Joint Committee on the Library, Senators and Representatives: 
A great nation never forgets the great deeds and great examples 
of its ancestors; and no man indeed, in any country, better 
deserves grateful remembrance than George Washington. 
He was, in truth, a providential man; no other of your many 
great men would have been able to do so well what he did; 
and he, appearing at any other period of your history, would 
not have proved such a useful citizen. He would not, perhaps, 
have fulfilled Lincoln's task so well; but he fulfilled Washing- 
Ton's, the noblest that could be imagined. The noblest, for 
the question was one then of life or death; the question was to 
know whether the attempted Revolution would prove the cradle 
or the grave of American liberty. 

For his mighty ta.sk he had all the needed and rarely united 
qualities — patience which was not inaction, readiness and forti- 
tude which were not temerity, calmness which was not indiffer- 
ence, kindness which was not weakness; far above all the rest, 
his soundness of heart, of mind, of sense. And this soundne.ss 
of judgment taught him that there are occasions wdien one can 
never be patient enough, and others when one can never be bold 
enough. Some of his moves are among the boldest on record, 
as when, at such an early date as the ist of August, 1774, he 
declared himself ready to rai.se 20,000 men, to equip them, and 
lead them to the rescue of Boston, a move which decided his 
fate and, in a measure, the fate of his country. 

We have in France the same feeling that you have for the 
great and good citizens of the past; and in this worship is 



Presentation of a Bust of \\\isJii)igto)i. 7 

included more than one American, Geokge Washington 
being foremost among them. French admiration began at once 
and never ceased; and it led France to do two things for him 
and for America — two things which she was the only country 
in the world to do. 

With her natural sympathy for those who suffer, for those 
who are threatened in their just rights, to offer her alliance 
France chose one of the gloomiest moments in the war of Inde- 
pendence. The alliance was not concluded after one of those 
brilliant exploits which denote an easy and glorious termina- 
tion; it was concluded when Washington and his army were 
at Valley Forge. 

And we did another thing which I believe we were alone in 
doing, and which shows as well at least as anything else the 
true sentiment of France for Washington and America. 
When the great citizen died France went into mourning for 
ten days, as if the noblest of her own national heroes had died; 
for ten days the flags of the Republic were veiled with crape 
throughout the country. A ceremony was held at the Inva- 
lides, and the most eloquent of our speakers, Fontanes, deliv- 
ered the funeral oration on the warrior who had made his 
country free. 

We meet again to-day, his birthday, to honor his memory; 
and it is my great privilege, acting upon the orders of my 
Government, to present to Congress the bust of the founder of 
this Republic. 

When the Rochambeau mission came, three years ago, receiv- 
ing from the United States a never-to-be-forgotten welcome, 
the warmest friends of America in France, and especially the 
members of the mission, desired to send to this country a token 
of their gratitude. 



8 Presentation of a Bust of J I 'asJiington. 

They thought they could do no better than to replace the 
work of art sent seventy-five years before to America, and 
offered to Congress by public subscription, to show how was 
preserved the old friendly feeling for the United States. The 
bust was the work of David d' Angers, the famous sculptor 
and patriot, who, with his friend Lafayette at his elbow, had 
tried to represent the Washington of heroical days, the leader 
of men and armies, the one who had fought and won the day. 

The work was destroyed in the fire at the Capitol on the 
24th of December, 1851. When the news reached Europe, 
the patriot-artist was in exile. Alluding to his usual walks 
on the Ostend pier, he wrote in his notebook: 

Many names are inscribed on the wooden. railings of. the pier. A boat, 
driven b\' the storm, has broken part of the woodwork upon which so 
many idlers had engraved their names, thinking they would remain there 
for ages; and now the wood will be used to boil the pot of fishermen's 
wives. Glory does not last. I was reading yesterday in an American 
paper a description of the fire at the Capitol Library. My bust of 
Washington is destro3-ed. What a perishable thing is a name; be it 
engraved on marble or bronze, it is rubbed off by the passing of centuries; 
one alone remains, that of humanity. 

The name of humanity remains, and other names remain, 
too; those which are not only engraved on bronze or marble, 
but in men's hearts. Such a name is Washington's, to be 
cheri.shed as long as lasts humanity it.self. 

It was recently ascertained that the original model of David's 
work still existed at Angers. A sub.scription was started and 
as soon closed as opened; at the head of the list figure the rep- 
resentatives of the families whose name is best associated with 
the great events in Washington's career: Lafayette, Rocham- 
beau, De Grasse. The btist was placed in the hands of my 
Government for presentation and accepted by 3'our joint reso- 
lution of last year. 



Presentatio)i of a Bust of Washington. 9 

And now, acting upon the instructions I received, on this sol- 
emn birthda}' anniversary, I formally offer it to you, gentlemen. 
Forever, now, I hope, the august face of the great citizen will 
be harbored in your Capitol. His mild and stern eye will see, 
from 3'ear to year, pass by the ever-renewed flood of a more 
and more remote and powerful posterity. 

May this posterity, whatever be the distance in time, remain 
near to the great ancestor, by their principles, their faith in 
liberty, their nobleness of purpose, and, if I maj- add a personal 
wish, by their friendly feeling for friendly France. [Applau.se.] 

ACCEPTAXCE FOR THE SENATE. 

Speaking for the vSenate of the United States, Senator 
Wetmore, of Rhode Island, .said: 

Your excellency: As chairman of the Joint Committee on the 
Library, the agreeable duty rests upon me of receiving, on the 
part of the Senate, for the Congre.ss of the United States, 
at your hands this bu.st of Washington, fa.shioned from the 
original model deposited in the museum at Angers by the 
sculptor, David, together with a marble stela on which it rests, 
the gift of certain Frenchmen "who have ties of family or 
friendship binding them to the American nation." 

I also count myself fortunate, as a representative of the State 
of Rhode Island, that I have a part in this ceremony expressive 
of the continued regard of citizens of France, for it was off the 
coast of that State that the naval and military forces of France 
in 1780, under de Ternay and Rochambeau, arrived and entered 
the harbor of Newport, bringing assistance to the American 
colonies in their struggle for independence. It was there that 
Admiral de Ternay died .shortly afterwards, and was buried in 
the quiet churchyard of a Protestant church, a part of which 
w^as set apart and con.secrated according to the rites of the 



lo Presentation of a Bust of J J 'ashington. 

Roman Catholic Church for his burial, and over his remains 
was placed, five years later, by order of his King, a monument 
to his memory. 

The Marquis de Noailles, the French minister to the United 
States, during a summer's residence at Newport, noticed that 
this monument was falling to decay, had it restored, the inscrip- 
tion recut, and for future preservation obtained permission to 
have it transferred to the interior of the church edifice. He 
also placed a granite slab suitably inscribed over the grave. 

Senator Anthony, of Rhode Island, in introducing a bill in 
the Senate of the United States, in 1873, to reimburse the 
French minister for his outlay,, stated: 

It may be proper, although it is not necessary, to say that I propose 
this resolution wholly without the knowledge of the Marquis de Noailles. 
It seems manifestl)- improper that the countr}- should permit this pious 
duty to be performed — I will not say by a stranger, for the kinsmen of 
Lafayette can not be a stranger in America — but by any individual or by 
any other government. 

On this same grave in 1902 the delegation from France to the 
unveiling of the statue of Rochambeau on a visit to Newport 
laid a wreath. 

This bust is not the first example of the work of David, emi- 
nent sculptor, patriot, and ardent republican, which has belonged 
to the United States, for in 1S23 and 1829 bu.sts of Washing- 
ton and L,afayette were given — of Washington by citizens of 
France as the result of a national subscription and of L,afayette 
by the sculptor himself. 

The records of Congress afford no information in regard to 
the first of these gifts, nor have examinations of the records 
of the custom-hou.ses of Georgetown, in this District, or at New 
York, or of books or newspapers in the Library of Congress 
yielded better results. It is not even certain whether this bust 



Presentation of a Bust of ]]\ishi)igto)i. ii 

was of bronze or marble. Of the second of these gifts the 
records are interesting and in part consist of a letter from Presi- 
dent John Quincy Adams transmitting a letter from David, 
addressed to him, in which there is a reference to the previous 
gift— the bust of Washington. 
David writes: 

I have executed a bust of Lafaj-ette. I could have wished to have 
raised a statue to him; not for his benefit, for he does not require it, but 
for ourselves, who feel so ardently the desire to express the love and 
admiration with which he inspires us. 

The whole youth of France envy both the youth and old a<<e of him 
whose resemblance I send you. * * * 

It is in the name of this youth of France, anxious to imitate whatever 
is generous and great, that I present to you the work on which I have 
bestowed much time and labor. 

I could have wished it had been more worthy of the subject — more 
worthy of the place I desire it should occupy. Yes, sir; I could wish that 
the bust of our brave General, of our illustrious deputy, might be set up in 
the Hall of Congress, near the monument erected to W.a.shington; the 
son by the side of the father, or, rather, that the two brothers in arms, the 
two companions in victory, the two men of order and of law, should not 
be more separated in our admiration than they were in their wishes and 
in their perils. 

Both of these busts were destroyed in the fire which con- 
sumed the Library of Congress in 1851, then occupying a part 
of this Capitol. 

By a strange coincidence, at the time French citizens in 1903 
were iniiting for the ptirpose of offering a bronze bust of Wash- 
ington, modeled on the original mold, the Congress of the 
United States was also considering the purchase of a marble 
replica of the bust of Ivafa5'ette, by David, executed for Mr. 
Charles Manigault, of Charleston, S. C, which has since been 
acquired. 



12 Prcsentatioji of a Bust of ]Vashington. 

The following extract from the journal of Mr. Manigault 
gives an account of the circumstances which led him to com- 
mission David to make for him the replica of the L,afayette 
bust: 

General Lafayette, among other things of interest shown us here, placed 
in our hands the ponderous key of the bastile. * * * 

A bust of Lafayette engrossed our interest, having inscriptions on it 
relating to our country (which inscriptions I will copy below), as seen 
also on my bust of the General. On inquiring of whom, respecting the 
artist, he informed us that it was the work of a 'distinguished young 
sculptor of Paris, named David, and that he, the General, "sent the 
original of this bust as a present to the United States Government,"' and 
that it is now in Washington." 

On taking leave of our kind friends at La Grange, General Lafayette 
gave me a letter to David, and I engaged him to make a similar bust for 
me. From patriotic feelings, the old General and the sculptor had these 
busts made of PVencli marble from the quarry near Bordeaux, though it 
be not of so fine and bright a grain as the marble of Italv. 

Thus Congress, after a period of more than fifty years, will 
again have in its possession replicas of the busts of Wash- 
ington and I^afayette by David d'Angers. 

In receiving from you to-day, Mr. Amba.ssador, the anniver- 
.sary of the birth of Washington, this beautiful and impressive 
work of art, given as a token of good will on the part of certain 
of your countrymen, may we not invoke the blessings of God 
on France and on the United States, and express the hope 
that under His guidance these two great nations, these sister 
republics, may be exemplars and leaders before the world of 
moderation, of justice, and of peace. [Applause.] 



" The original bust of I^afayelte was not presented to Congress by I,afayette. but by 
David. (See David s letter m foolnote on page 33.) 



Presentation of a Bust of U ^ashington. 1 3 

ACCEPTANCE FOR THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 

Speaking for the House of Representatives, Representative 
McCleary, of Minnesota, said : 

Mr. President of the Senate, Mr. Speaker of the House, Mr. 
Ambassador, Gentlemen of the Senate and House of Represen- 
tatives, Ladies and Gentlemen: I am embarrassed by the fact 
that the Ambassador of France and the Senator from Rhode 
Island have practicalh- covered the ground I had in mind to 
cover. But the}- have presented the matter so admirably that 
I am well content on that .score. 

As I stand here a thought occurs to me. Before me on one 
wall of the room is a great mirror. Behind me on the opi)o.site 
wall is another. Above me is a large cluster of electric lights. 
Looking into the mirror before me I .see what seems to be a 
long corridor, brightly lighted throughout its entire length. 
How suggestive of Washington and his services to his 
countr>- ! It is almost two hundred years since he was born, 
and yet we love to honor his name to-day, realizing that our 
national pathway through the centuries has been kept straight 
and been illumed by liis work and his wisdom. 

Washington's fame is its own embarrassment. His great- 
ness is almo.st awesome, his goodness almost discouraging. 
We think of him almost as of a statue of chaste marljle on the 
side of a cathedral. We feel as though he had been without 
blood and without passions. He impres.ses us as being more 
than human. And so we almost welcome anj^thing that brings 
him within our feeling of kinship. He is one of the few men 
about whom even good people welcome glimp.ses that indi- 
cate human limitations. 

Though we know that he strongly disapproved of pro- 
fanity, we are almost glad that in righteous indignation at 



14 Presentation of a Bust of Washington. 

Monmouth he swore roundly at Gen. Charles Lee, because it 
seems to make him blood of our blood, with a heart like our 
own. 

In this connection I am reminded of the story to the effect 
that in the Revolutionary war he laid before Anthony Wayne 
the plan of the fort at Stony Point, saying, "General, dare 
you storm that place?" Impulsive Wayne, straightening up, 
said, "Sir, we dare storm hell if you lay the plans." Wash- 
ington quietly answered, with a twinkle in his gray eye, 
"But, General, remember I want you to storm a place very 
much more difficult of access." I have reminded you of this 
story primarily because it tends to bring Washington within 
our comprehension and our sympathy. But it illustrates two 
important facts — first, that Washington had the practically 
boundless confidence of those who served under him; and, 
second, that he was human like ourselves and was not unap- 
preciative of humor. 

As Hawthorne shows in his story of The Great Stone Face, 
it is a part of human nature for a per.son to become like that 
which he habitually contemplates. Therefore, it is well for 
us all to study the lives of great and good men ; and it is 
worth while to avail ourselves of appropriate occasions for 
that purpose. Hence the propriety of these exercises. In 
the necessarily limited time allotted me, I shall not undertake 
to do more than to ask your attention briefly to just one of 
the many services rendered to his native land through which 
he earned the title of "Father of his Country." I refer 
to his .services in connection with the construction and the 
ratification of our National Constitution. 

In order to emphasize the point that I desire to make, I 
shall ask a question of this exceptionally intelligent audi- 
ence. No one need answer aloud, and no one need feel 



Presentation of a Bust of ]\\-isJiiugtou. 15 

ashamed if his mental answer is wrong. One is sure to be 
in error about the matter unless he has happened to look it up. 

The question is this: How man}^ States took part in the 
election of George Washington the first time he was chosen 
President of the United States? One instinctively answers 
"thirteen," but that is not correct. There were not thirteen. 
There were not twelve. There were not eleven. There were 
only ten. New York had ratified the Constitution, but she had 
failed to choose electors. North Carolina had not yet ratified 
it, and did not do so until several months after Washington 
was inaugurated. And Rhode Island did not ratify it until 
Washington had been President for more than a year. 

The point I desire to emphasize is this: We have such pro- 
found re-spect and affection for that great in.strument that we 
instinctively feel that the people of the United States mu.st 
always have held it in the high regard that we do wow. But 
permit me to remind you that when, after anxious deliberation 
through four months, from 'May till September, 1787, the Con- 
stitution had been framed, it was only after the utmost of 
endeavor that the people of the several States could be pre- 
vailed upon to ratify it. 

And this reluctance to ratify and adopt the Constitution is 
not to be wondered at. The people had suffered from a gov- 
ernment outside of and above their colonial governments, and 
naturally when they declared themselves independent and 
formed a union under the Articles of Confederation, they gave 
no real power to the Federal Government. The Congress from 
1776 till 1789 was in fact merely an advisory body. It could 
not raise by taxation the mone}' needed for Federal uses, nor 
could it rai.se a .soldier for the Federal Army. To get either 
men or money the Congress had to appeal to the States, which 
could comply or not as they chose. Under the Confederation, 



i6 Presentation of a Bust of WasJuJigton. 

too, the power to regulate commerce was reserved to the States. 
Through the impotence of Congress the war for independence 
dragged through seven weary years, and but for the assistance 
of France the struggle for independence might have been lost. 
When peace had been declared, there began, in 1783, the period 
which John Fiske has so well named ' ' The Critical Period of 
American History." "Government by supplication" soon 
proved itself a failure. Our country was rapidly drifting 
toward chaos. 

Suffering at Valley Forge and elsewhere had shown to WAvSH- 
INGTON the necessity of having a government that could govern, 
that should have power to preserve its own existence and be 
able to command respect for and obedience to its laws. Shortly 
after the close of the war he began a correspondence with 
leading men of the several States looking toward the formation 
of a "more perfect union." When in May, 1787, delegates 
from twelve of the vStates assembled at Philadelphia in the 
convention which framed the Constitution under which we 
have lived so long and prospered so greath', Washington was 
naturally and properly cho.sen to preside over the deliberations. 

Though the plan of union under the Articles of Confedera- 
tion had proved to be pitiabl}^ weak and ineffective, and though 
thoughtful men everywhere saw the necessity of devising a new 
plan of union, some of the delegates to the convention, under- 
estimating the good .sen.se of the people, suggested that thor- 
ough-going reform might not l:>e "popular," and urged that 
palliatives of existing evils would be more likely to meet the 
approval of the people. 

At that trying hour, when the fate of the nation was at stake, 
Washington made a brief speech, which reveals his real fiber. 
Rising from the chair of the presiding officer, he .said with 
solemnity that was impressive: 



Presentation of a Bust of Washijigton. I'- 

ll is too probable that no plan we propose will be adopted. Perhaps 
another dreadful conflict is to be sustained. If, to please the people, we 
offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterward defend our 
work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair; 
the event is in the hand of God. 

No nobler utterance ever came from human lips. In this 
speech Washington exhibited hi.s abiding faith in the might 
of right and in the comnion sense of the common people. It 
would be well if this brief speech were printed in letters of 
gold on the walls of each of the Hou.ses of Congress as an 
inspiration to faith: better still to have it written on the heart 
of e\-ery member. 

After four months of anxious — often acrimonious — deliber- 
ation the Constitution was finally agreed to by the convention. 
It is worthy of note, however, that of the sixty-five men elected 
to attend the convention, ten failed to attend; of the fifty-five 
that went to the convention, thirteen retired from it, to show 
their disapproval, before the Constitution was completed, and 
three of those that remained to the end declined to sign it. 
So that the original document contains the signatures of only 
thirtj'-nine of the delegates. 

Delaware ratified quite promptly, but in nearly all the other 
States ratification came only after a heroic struggle on the- part 
of the friends of the Constitution. 

Virginia was the tenth State to ratify. In the con\-ention 
assembled in that State for the purpose of determining whether 
the vState would ratify the Constitution or not, who made the 
arguments? But, first, who were there to oppose ratification? 
Where would we expect to find Patrick Henry, that stormy 
petrel of the Revolution? We would expect him to be for the 
Constitution; and yet, with all the power God had given him, 
he fought its ratification by Virginia. Where would we expect 
S. Rep. 4.^97, 5S-3 2 



1 8 Presentation of a Bust of JJ^ashington. 

to find Richard Henr}' Lee? For the Constitution — but he was 
against it. Where would we expect to find the old friend and 
neighbor of George Washington, with whom he counseled 
so often — George Mason? For the Constitution — but he was 
against it. Where would we expect to find the governor of 
Virginia, Edmund Randolph, with all his mighty power? For 
the Constitution, he having been a member of the convention 
that framed it — but he was against it. 

It took weight}' argument and a tremendous influence to 
secure the ratification of the Constitution by Virginia. And 
who made the argument? First, a stripling, 30 years of age, 
versed in all the lore of government; a man who has well 
been called the Father of the Constitution, James Madison. 
Beside him, to argue the legal points, was another youngster 
of about the same age, with overhanging brows, slender in 
stature but massive in brain. His form in bronze sits in silent 
majesty at the west front of the Capitol; his fame is world- 
wide; the man who afterwards as Chief Justice of the United 
States gave life and meaning to the Constitution— John Mar- 
shall. These two made the chief arguments. 

But, ladies and gentlemen, behind all they could say or all 
they could do was a silent form whose potency was greater 
than that of all others ; the influence of him who has well been 
called the greatest of good men and the best of great men — 
George Washington. And it is undoubtedly true that in 
all the States, when people by their firesides were anxiously 
considering the question of ratification, debating whether they 
.should or should not adopt the constitution that made this a 
nation instead of a mere confederacy — when they were per- 
plexed and ^n doubt, one thought finally resolved the doubt. 
They said " This proposed Constitution must be wisely planned, 
for George W^ashington approves it." And .so, largely 



Pn'sciifatioii of a Bust of IWisJiiiigton. 19 

through his influence, the Constitution was adopted, and he 
was unanimousl}^ called to launch the ship of state and guide 
it through the troubled waters of the beginning of our national 
existence. 

It is a source of enduring honor to him and to all who had 
to do with the making of that Constitution that it served 
well the purposes of the thirteen States of sparce population 
then along the shores of the Atlantic, and, with practically no 
amendments affecting its essential characteristics, it serves 
admirably to-day for a country with a population approaching a 
hundred millions, that reaches across the continent and embraces 
the islands of the sea. 

Therefore, Mr. Ambassador, it is a great pleasure to me, on 
the part of the House of Repre.sentatives, to receive at your 
hands this bust. I accept it in belialf of that body whose 
members are the only persons of all the officials of the United 
States Government who are elected directly by the people. In 
their name I accept at your hands as a symbol of the lasting 
friendship of our well-beloved sister Republic across the sea, 
to whom we owe so much, this enduring reproduction of the 
features of him who was to our fathers and is to us "First in 
war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." 
[Applause.] 

Mr. Senator Frve (President pro tempore of the Senate). 
The purpose of this gathering having been so pleasantly accom- 
plished, it will now be dissolved. 



APPENDICES. 



A. OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE. 

B. GEORGE WASHINGTON, BY DAVID D'ANGERS. BRONZE 

OFFERED BY FRANCE TO THE UNITED STATES TO 
REPLACE THE MARBLE DESTROYED BY FIRE IN 1851. 



Appendix A. 



OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE. 

[Senate Document No. 7S, part 2, Fifty-eight Congress, second session.] 

Dkp.\ktmkxt ok vSt.ate, 
iras/iiiigioii, Xo'c'Cinhn- /g, Jgoj;. 
Hon. George P. Wetmore, 

C/iainnai! Coiiiiiiittic on the- Library, United States Seiiatc. 
Sir: I have the honor to inclose a cop}' of a dispatch from the Embassy 
at Paris, with inclosure, reporting the intention of the IMarquis <le Lafay- 
ette, the Marquis de Grasse, and other French gentlemen to present to 
this Government a bust of Washington, to replace the one which was 
made by the French sculptor, David d'Angers, and was destroj^ed in the 
Capitol during the fire of 1S51. 

I venture to suggest that in accepting the gift a concurrent resolution of 
Congress would be most fitting, in view of the fact that the gift is one 
from private individuals. 

I have the honor to be, sir, 3-our obedient servant, 

John H.w. 



Emb.\ssv of the United vStates, 

Paris, October 2j, /goj. 

Sir: Count de Rochambeavt, Marquis de Lafayette, Marquis de Grasse, 
Mr. Henry Jouin, and other gentlemen connected by feelings of .s^-mpathy 
or by historical ties with the United States, have decided to present to our 
Government a bust of Washington, to replace the one of the great French 
sculptor David d' Angers, which was offered by France to the United .States 
in i826and placed in the Capitol, where it was destroyed by the fire of 1851. 

The plaster model of this bust having been preserved in the family of 
the sculptor, these gentlemen have had a bronze cast made from it, and 
their intention is to present it to our Government througli the French 
ambassador at Washington. Before taking such action they have written 

2i 



24 Presentation of a Bust of M'asJiington. 

me a verj^ kind letter explaining in graceful terms the motives which 
prompted their action, and asking Avhether their gift would be acceptable. 
.1 replied that I had no doubt it would be, but that I would communicate 
at once with yo\x and give them a more formal answer when I would hear 
from A'ou. 

I inclose herewith their original letter to me, with a translation of the 
same. 

I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, 

Horace Porter. 
Hon. John Hav, 

Secret arv of State. . 



[Iiiclosure. — Translation.] 

Paris, October io, igoj. 

Mr. Amb.\ssador: The recent publication of the ] Jsts of French Com- 
batants in the American War, brought out at the expense of 3-our great 
nation, has profoundly touched our country. 

In recalling, after more than one hundred and twenty years, in an 
official document, that Rochambeau, Lafayette, Custine, Rostaing, 
Theodore, Charles, and Alexander Lameth, in the forces on land; 
d'Estaing, de Gras.se, Suffren, La Motte-Piquet, Bougainville, Vaudreiul, 
La Perouse, in the forces at sea, along with thousands of our countrymen, 
contributed to the liberation of the American colonies, the United States 
gives France a proof of great sympathy. This grand enumeration of dis- 
tinguished captains and unknown soldiers is in itself an example. It is 
the sign of a gratitude which has been too rare in the history of nations. 
Your country, excellency, did not wish to allow the names of its brave 
friends in the hour of trial to perish from histor}-. She has collected them 
with pious care; she has engraved them on tablets of .stone, which it would 
be fitting to call the "French Golden Book of American Independence." 

In 1899 two .subscriptions were opened in the United States. The first, 
which American women took charge of, was intended to endow France 
with an equestrian statue of Washington, the work of Daniel Chester 
French and Edward Potter; the .second was even more touching than the 
first, since in this case the school children of America subscribed the 
necessary sum out of their slender resources to cover the cost of an eques- 
trian statue of Lafayette, the work of Paul Wayland Bartlett, likewise 
intended for France. 

The women's savings and the child's savings were both to cross the seas 
in the 'shape of glorious effigies, the contemplation of which offers a 
symbol and a lesson, since they preach heroism and liberty to all. 

The statues, modeled by French, Potter, and Bartlett, were solemnly 
inaugurated at Paris in July, 1900. 



Presentation of a Bust of Washington. 25 

These superb gifts, excellency, were only the continuation of patriotic 
exchange which began already in the early part of the last century. A 
national subscription had in fact been opened in France in 1826, in order 
to offer a colossal bust of GEORGE Washington to the United States. 

Dayid d'Angers, the distinguished sculptor, who had taken on himself 
the task of immortalizing by his chisel the greatest historic figures of his 
nation, had been selected by the subscription committee to execute the 
bust of Washington. His product was a marble figure of splendid 
aspect, which was placed in the Capitol in 1827. 

But Dayid d'Angers was not only an eminent sculptor. He was also a 
patriot, in loye with liberty, and with a mind open to the most generous 
aspirations. In making the bust of Washington, at the request of the 
subscription committee, the artist had only been able to offer his talent 
to the United States. The marble signed by him and placed in the Capitol 
was not the sculptor's personal gift. He wished, therefore, to begin afresh 
once more. He was intimate with General Lafayette. It was noticed that 
he locked himself up in his studio with his illustrious friend. A few 
weeks later was completed a marble statue in no way inferior to that of 
Washington It represented Lafayette. 

The sculptor, in a most eloquent letter, full of sympathy and enthu- 
siastic admiration for the American Republic, himself offered the bust of 
General Lafayette to the President of the United States. 

The letter of Dayid d'Angers. dated the nth of September, 1S2S, has 
been published in France, in the life of the sculptor, and more lately in 
the Senate Bulletin (Calendar No. 2504, Senate, January 20, 1903). This 
page does the greatest honor to the French ma.ster. 

On the 4th June, 1900, there was solemnly unyeiled at Vendome. the 
birthplace of Marshal Rochambeau, a statue of the illustrious warrior, 
erected by joint subscription in France and the United States. This work 
of very great merit is by the hand of Hamar, the sculptor. 

It is not necessary for us to recall to your excellency the splendor of a 
ceremony which you heightened by your presence. The remembrance of 
the glowing words uttered by you on that occasion, the desire you 
expressed that the union between the two sister Republics might never 
change, a wish greeted by the loudest cheers on the part of the bystanders, 
and speedily reechoed by the press of two continents; 3'our pilgrimage to 
the cemetery of Thore, where, in the name of the United States, you 
deposited a wreath on the marshal's tomb — the recollection of these glori- 
ous or touching acts remains engraved in all memories. 

The festivities at Vendome were but a prelude. However brilliant they 
might have been, they could not be compared to those which took place 
at Washington the 24th Maj', 1902. 

The statue of Rochambeau having been erected on French soil, the 
United States demanded likewise the privilege of possessing the marshal's 
statue. 



26 Presentation of a Bust of U^ashington. 

On March 27, 1902, President Roosevelt officially invited the French 
Government and people to join hands with the Government and people of 
the United States with the view of proceeding in a proper and suitable 
manner to the inauguration of Marshal Rochambeau's monument in the 
city of Washington. This invitation was accepted. A French hiission, 
numbering among its members General Brugere and Admiral Fournier, 
accompanied you to America. President Roosevelt in person opened the 
ceremon}'. Those among us who were present can never forget the enthu- 
siastic applause for France when the Countess of Rochambeau unveiled 
the statue. An indescribable quiver animated the crowd, and in that 
magic instant the souls of the two great nations united to form only one. 
President Roosevelt's speech, addressed to M. Cambon, the F'rench 
ambassador to the United States; your speech, Excellency, in which you 
proclaimed the undying gratitude of Americans to France, bound more 
closely, if such a thing is possible, the links which unite our two countries. 

One would have reason to think, on the day following the celebration of 
1902, that the United States pos.sessed the statues of three great men — 
Washington, Lafayette, and Rochambeau — sculptured by French hands. 

Such was, however, not the case. 

The busts of Washington and Lafayette, hy David d' Angers, were 
destroyed the 24th December, 1851, in the fire in which was burned the 
library of the Capitol. David was in exile when he learned the disappeaj- 
ance of works of which he was rightfully proud. This news was deeply 
painful to him. 

In the beginning of 1903 certain Frenchmen, who had ties of famih- or 
friendship binding them to the American nation, thought they would 
unite for the purpose of offering to the United States a bronze statue 
modeled on the original bust of Washington preserved at the Musee 
David at Angers. 

They opened a subscription among themselves, and the modest monu- 
ment they had contemplated is now finished. 

By a happy coincidence, very far from their thoughts, the Congress of 
the United States was negotiating at the same time for a marble replica 
of the bust of Lafayette, after the replica made b}' David d'Angers in 
1830, at the request of an Anierican citizen, Mr. Charles Pilanigault, of 
Charleston. 

The subscribers to the Washington bust venture to hope, excellency, 
that their offer will not be unworthy of acceptance by your nation, and 
that the bronze, which the}' beg you to accept in the name of your Gov- 
ernment, will take the place at the Capitol once occupied by the marble 
.statiie of David d'Angers, which was destroj-ed in 185 1. 

Thus there will ari.se again on American soil the brilliant group of 
Washington, Lafayette, and Rochambeau, the three brothers in arms of 
1780. 



Presentation of a Bust of Washington. 27 

The undersigned, Mr. Ambassador, have the honor to be your excel- 
lency's most humble and obedient servants, 

COMTE DE ROCHAMBEAU. 

Marouis DE La Fayette. 
Marouis DE Grasse. 
Henry Jouin. 
His Excellency General Porter, 

Ambassador of the I 'nitcd States. 



November 28, 1903. 
Dear Sir: I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 19th 
instant, transmitting copy of a dispatch from the American embassy at 
Paris, with iuclosure, reporting the intention of the INIarquis de Lafay- 
ette, the Marquis de Grasse, and other French gentlemen to present to 
this C;overnment a bust of WASHINGTON. I will bring the correspondence 
to the attention of the Library Committee as soon as may be after its 
reorganization December first. 

Very truly, yours, Geo. Peaboby Wetmore, 

Ciiair7)iaii. 
Hon. John Hay, 

.Secretary of .State, 

IVas/iiuototi, n. C. 



[.Senate Document No. 7S, Fifty-eighth Congress, second 

To the Senate aud House of Representatives: 

I transmit herewith a report from the Acting Secretary of vState, with 
iuclosure from the ambassador of the I'rench Republic, relative to the 
desire of certain French citizens to present to this CTOvernment a reproduc- 
tion of the bust of W.\SHINGTOn by David d' Angers, which the donors 
wi.sh to have placed in the Capitol. 

I reconmiend that Congress accept this gift by joint resolution, and that 
suitable provision be made for its ceremonial installation. 

Theodore Rooseyeet. 

White Yiovi,v., January 12, 1^04. 



28 Presentation of a Bust of Washington. 

The President: 

The undersigned, Acting Secretary of State, has the honor to lay before 
the President a translation of a note from the ambassador of PYance with 
regard to the wish of certain French citizens to present to this Govern- 
ment a reproduction of the bust of Washington by David d'Angers, 
which the donors wish should be erected at or near the place where the 
original stood at the time of its destruction during the fire at the Capitol 
in 1 85 1. 

The V)ust has been forwarded by the French Government to its emljassy 
in this city where it now is. 

The sentiments which animate these French citizens in their action 

deserves the recognition of this Government, and I would respectfully 

suggest that a recommendation be made to Congress to accept the gift by 

joint resolution, with provision for its ceremonial installation. 

Respectfully submitted. 

Francis B. Loomis, 

Acting Secretary of State. 

Department of «State, 

Wasliiii^ toil , January S, /go^. 



[Translation.] 

Embassy of thf: French Repubi^ic 

TO THE United States, 
ll'as/iing/on, December jr, /goj. 

Mr. Secretary of vState: By order of my Government, I have the 
honor to inform vour excellency that a certain number of French citizens, 
in their deep feeling of sympathy with the American nation and gratitude 
for the hearty reception accorded in 1902 to the Rochambeau mission, 
have thought that the best means of testifying to your country the senti- 
ments by which they are animated would be to present it with a reproduc- 
tion of W-A-SHINGTOn's bust, destroyed during the fire at the Capitol in 
1S51. 

The bu.st had been offered to the United States by France in 1823, as the 
result of a national subscription. It was the work of David of Angers — a 
friend of libertv and sincere admirer of the great man whose features he 
was to reproduce — who strove to achieve likeness not only of his physical, 
but also, as far as feasible, his moral traits. 



Presentation of a Bnst of U^ashington. 29 

The original model of the work, which was greatly admired at the time, 
was fortunately preserved at the David Museum at Angers, the birthplace 
of the artist. Count de Rochambeau, who, with the assistance of his 
friends, took the initiative of the subscription, was thus enabled to oljtain 
a true reproduction of the destroj'ed piece of work, and my Government 
has just forwarded to me the bust with a marble stela on which it is to 
rest. I inclose herewith a photograph of the monument at present at the 
embassy. If the Congress be pleased to accept their gift, the donors 
would wish to have that image of Washington erected at or near the 
place where the destroyed original stood. 

In pur.suance of the instructions I have received, I have the honor to 
acquaint your excellency with this wish. I look upon this as the most 
agreeable duty- -that of being on this occasion the intermediary of my 
fellow-citizens with the Government of the United vStates. Their spon- 
taneous initiative once more demonstrates that, in spite of the lapse of 
time, the sentiment which of yore pervaded France in favor of the United 
vStales has not yet died out. I may be permitted to add that all in my 
country are convinced it will never die out. 

Be pleased to accept, etc., Ju.sserand. 



Jaxi-arv 15, 1904. 
Dear Mr. Skcrrt.\ry: Referring to your letter of November 19, 
addressed to me as Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library, 
transmitting copy of a dispatch frt)m the American embassy at Paris, with 
accompanying papers, regarding the presentation to this Government by 
citizens of France of a bust of Washington, by David d'Angers, and 
my reply to your letter saying I would bring the matter to the attention 
of the Lil)rary Committee, I would say that as the President's message to 
Congress of the 12th instant, on the .same subject, was referred to the 
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, I have handed to that com- 
mittee the papers you .sent me. 

Very truly, yours, 

Gko. Peabodv Wetmore. 
Hon. John Hay, 

Sccrcta)}' of State. 



Appendix B. 



(Translation of the book deposited by the French ambassador in the bronze receptacle 
on the front of the pedestal of the Washington bnst.) 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 
B}' David D'Axgers. 

Bronze offered by France to the United States to replace the marble 
destroyed by fire in 1S51. 



LETTER FROM THE COMMITTEE TO THE AMBAS- 
SADOR OF THE UxNITED STATES. 



To His Excellency General 1'orTkr, 

Ambassador of the f'tiitcd Sfafes. 

Paris, October 10, 1903. 
Mr. Ambassador: The recent publication of the Lists of French com- 
batants in the American War, brought out at the expense of your great 
nation, has profoundly touched our country. " 

In recalling, after more than one hundred and_ twenty years, in an 
official document, that Rochambeau, Lafayette, Custine, Rostaing, Theo- 
dore, Charles, and Alexander Lameth, in the forces on land; d'Estaing, 



a The French Combatants in the American War (1778-1783), based upon authentic 
documents deposited in the National Archives and in the Archives of the Ministry of 
War ( Paris, Motteroz, 1903, 424 pp. 4°). This work is due to the initiative of M. Merou, 
consul of France at Chicago, in cooperation with the Society of the Sons of the Revo- 
lution in the State of Illinois, of which M. Merou is a member. 

31 



32 Presentation of a Bust of U^ashiugton. 

de Grasse, vSuffren, La Motte- Piquet, Bougainville, Vaudreiul, La Perouse, 
in the forces at sea, along with thousands of our countrymen, contributed 
to the liberation of the American colonies, the United States gives France 
a proof of great sympathy. This grand enumeration of distinguished 
captains and unknown soldiers is in itself an example. It is the sign of 
a gratitude which has been too rare in the history of nations. Your 
country, excellenc}', did not wish to allow the names of its brave friends 
in the hour of trial to perish from history. She has collected them with 
pious care; she has engraved them on tablets of stone, w^hich it would be 
fitting to call the "French Golden Book of American Independence." 

In 1899 two subscriptions were opened in the LTnited States. The first, 
which American women took charge of, was intended to endow France 
with an equestrian statue of Washington, the work of Daniel Chester 
French and Edward Potter; the second was even more touching than the 
first, since, in this case, the school children of America subscribed the 
necessary sum out of their slender resources to cover the cost of an eques- 
trian statue of Lafayette, the work of Paul Wayland Bartlett, likewise 
intended for France. 

The women's savings and the child's savings were both to cross the seas 
in the shape of glorious effigies, the contemplation of which offers a symbol 
and a lesson, since they preach heroism and liberty to all. 

The statues, modeled by French, Potter, and Bartlett, were solemnly 
inaugurated at Paris in July, 1900. 

These superb gifts, excellency, were onh- the continuation of patriotic 
exchange which began already in the early part of the last century. A 
national subscription had in fact been opened in France in 1826, in order 
to offer a colossal bust of George Washington to the United States. 

David d'Angers, the distinguished sculptor, who had taken on himself 
the task of immortalizing, by his chisel, the greatest historic figures of his 
nation, had been selected by the subscription committee to execute the 
bust of Washington. His product was a marble figure of splendid aspect 
which was placed in the Capitol in 1827. 

But David d'Angers was not only an eminent sculj^tor; he was also a 
patriot, in love with liberty, and with a mind open to the most generous 
aspirations. In making the bust of Washington, at the request of the 
siibscription committee, the artist had only been able to offer his talent to 
the United States. The marble signed by him and placed in the Capitol 



Presentation of a Bust of Wasliington. t^Z- 

was not the sculptor's personal gift. He wished, therefore, to begin- 
afresh once more. He was intimate with General Lafayette. It was^ 
noticed that he locked himself up in his studio with his illustrious friend. 
A few weeks later was completed a marble statue in no way inferior to 
that of Washington. It represented Lafayette. 

The sculptor, in a most eloquent letter, full of sympathy and enthusi- 
astic admiration for the American Republic, himself offered the bust of 
General Lafayette to the President of the United States. 

The letter of David d' Angers, dated the nth September, 1828, has 
been published in France, in the life of the sculptor, and more lately 
in the Senate Bulletin (Calendar No. 2504, Senate, January 20, 1903). 
This page does the greatest honor to the French master. « 

a Mr. David d' Angers expressed himself in the following terms in his letter to John 
Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States: 

P.\Ris, September 11, 1828. 
The Prksident: 

I have executed a bust of Lafayette. I could have wished to have raised a statue to 
him; not for his benefit, for he does not require it, but for ourselves, who feel so 
ardently the desire to express the love and admiration with which he inspires us. 

The whole youth of F'rance envy both the j'outh and the old age of him whose 
resemblance I send you. 

They envy that glory which was acquired on your American soil, by the side of the 
immortal Washington, in defense of your inestimable rights. 

They env>' that glory which was acquired on the soil of France, in the midst of the 
troubles of Paris and Versailles, in those councils where it required more courage to 
contend in argument than is necessarj' to combat in arms. 

They en\-y that glory which crowns a head white with age, but still glowing with the 
fires of liberty and patriotism. 

It is in the name of this youth of France, anxious to imitate whatever is generou.s 
and great, that I present to you the work on which I have bestowed much time and 
labor. 

I could have wished it had been more worthy of the subject— more worthy of the 
place I desire it should occupy. Yes, sir; I could wish that the bust of our brave 
general, of our illustrious deputy, might be set up in the Hall of Congress, near the 
monument erected to Washington; the son by the side of the father, or, rather, that 
the two brothers in arms, the two companions in victorj-, the two men of order and of 
law, .should not be more separated in our admiration than they were in their wishes 
and in their perils. 

I^afayette is one of the ties that connect the two worlds. A few months since he 
revisited your land, consecrated by justice and equality, and you restored him to us, 
honored by your hospitality and your homage. 

In my turn, I restore him to you; or, rather, I only restore to you his image, for he 
himself must remain with us, in order to recall frequently to the national councils 
those eternal principles on which the independence of nations reposes and the hopes 
of mankind are built. 

I am with profound respect, Mr. President, your very humble and obedient servant, 

David, 
Member of the French Institute and Professor of the School of Painting, 

Member of the Legion of Honor. 
S. Rep. 4397, 58-3 3 



34 Presentation of a Bust of Washington. 

On the 4th June, 1900, there was solemnly unveiled at Vendome, 
the birthplace of Marshal Rochambeau, a statue of the illustrious war- 
rior, erected by joint subscription in France and the United States. 
This work of very great merit is by the hand of Hamar, the sculptor. 
It is not necessary for us to recall to your excellencj- the splendor 
■of a ceremony which you heightened by your presence. The remem- 
brance of the glowing words uttered by you on that occasion, the de- 
sire you expressed that the union" between the two sister Republics 
might never change, a wish greeted by the loudest cheers on the part 
of the bystanders, and speedily reechoed by the press of two conti- 
nents; your pilgrimage to the cemetery of Thore, where, in the name 
of the United States, you deposited a wreath on the marshal's tomb — 
the recollection of these glorious or touching acts remains engraved 
in all memories. 

The festivities at Vendome were but a prelude. However brilliant 
they might have been, they could not be compared to those which 
took place at Washington the 24th May, 1902. 

The statue of Rochambeau having been erected on French soil, the 
United States demanded likewise the privilege of possessing the marshal's 
statue. 

On March 27, 1902, President Roosevelt officially invited the French 
Government and people to join hands with the Government and peo- 
ple of the United States with the view of proceeding in a proper and 
suitable manner to the inauguration of Marshal Rochambeau's monu- 
ment in the city of Washington. This invitation was accepted. A 
French mission, numbering among its members General Brugere and 
Admiral Fournier, accompanied you to America. President Roosevelt 
in person opened the ceremony. Those among us who were present 
can never forget the enthusiastic applause for France when the Count- 
ess of Rochambeau unveiled the statue. An indescribable quiver ani- 
mated the crowd, and in that magic instant the souls of the two 
great nations united to form only one. President Roosevelt's speech, 
addressed to M. Cambon, the French ambassador to the United States; 
your speech, excellency, in which you proclaimed the undying grati- 
tude of Americans to France, bound more closeh", if such a thing is 
possible, the links which unite our two countries. « 

a In support of the words of General Porter, we may be permitted to recall the touch- 
ing foundation made for the benefit of the pupils in architecture of the Kcole des 



Presentation of a Bust of JVashi'ngtoit. 35 

One would have reason to think, on the day following the celebrations 
of 1902, that the United States possessed the statues of three great men — 
Washington, Lafayette, and Rochambeau — sculptured by French hands. 

Such was, however, not the case. 

The busts of Washington and Lafayette, by David d'Angers, were 
destroyed the 24th December, 1851, in the fire in which was burned the 
library of the Capitol. David was in exile when he learned the disap- 
pearance of works of which he was rightfully proud. This news was 
deeply painful to him. 

In the beginning of 1903 certain Frenchmen, who had ties of family or 
friendship binding them to the American nation, thought they would 
unite for the purpose of offering to the United States a bronze statue 
modeled on the original bust of Washington preserved at the Musee 
David at Angers. 

They opened a subscription among themselves, and the modest monu- 
ment they had contemplated is. now finished. 

By a happy coincidence very far from their thoughts the Congress of 
the United States was negotiating at the same time for a marble replica 

Beaux-Arts, Paris, by the American architects. The initial document of this transac- 
tion, which does such high honor to the artists of the United States, belongs to a class 
which must be quoted [in their own language]. We reproduce it here in its entirety: 

New York, U. S. A., March 8, 1SS7. 
To the Directoy of the Ecole Nationale et speciale des Beaux-Arts, Paris. 

Sir: The architects of the United States, with feelings of the most lively recogni- 
zance toward the :Ecole des Beaux-Arts, wish to give expression to this sentiment of 
profound gratitude in a way which maj- always recall the generous treatment of the 
school so lavish in its care for artist students of all nationalities. They desire to found 
in perpetuity an annual prize for the French architectural students of the school, to 
be known as " Prix de Reconnaissance des Architectes Am6ricains" (American Archi- 
tects' recognizance prize). 

They desire to found the prize in favor of French pupils only, in order to emphasize 
their gratitude toward France. 

To this end the old pupils of the school and others have subscribed the sum of 
35,000 francs. 

They desire that the interest from this sum shall constitute the prize named. 

In the hope that this communication may be favorably received, and reaffirming 
their expressions of gratitude, they beg of you. Monsieur le Directeur, to accept the 
assurance of their devotion and of their highest consideration. 

Ricn.ARD "SI. Hunt, 

President. ■ 

A second letter of March 11, also signed by Richard M. Hunt, inclosed a check for 
35,000 francs, and the names of 139 artists who had subscribed this sum. Since then 
the Prix de Reconnaissance des Architectes Americains is annually the object of a 
competitive contest, very profitable to the studies of the French pupils of the Ecole des 
Beaux-Arts, where incessantly generations of young men of all countries continue to 
develop themselves in the arts of design. 



36 Presentation of a Bust of Washington. 

of the bust of Lafayette, after the replica made by David d'Angers in 
1830, at the request of an American citizen, Mr. Charles Manigault, of 
Charleston. 

The subscribers to the Washington bust venture to hope, excellency, 
that their offer will not be unworthy of acceptance by your nation, 
and that the bronze, which they beg you to accept in the name of your 
Government, will take the place at the Capitol once occupied by the 
marble statue, of David d'Angers, which was destroyed in 1851. 

Thus there will arise again on American soil the brilliant group of 
Washington, Lafayette, and Rochambeau, the three brothers in arms 
of 1780. 

The undersigned, Mr. Ambassador, have the honor to be your excel- 
lency's most humble and obedient servants. 

Comte de Rochambeau. 
BlARouis DE La Fayette. 
Marquis de Grasse. 
Henry Jouin. 
His Excellency General PoRTER, 

Ambassador of the United States. 



II. 

RESPONSE OF THE AMBASSADOR. 



General Poiier, United States Ambassador, to Count de Rochanibeau, 
Marquis de La Fayette, Marquis de Grasse, and Henry Jouin. 

Paris, October 23, 1903. 

Gentlemen: On my return from my holiday, I find at the Embassy 
the letter by which you inform me that some Frenchmen connected with 
the American nation by bond of friendship or family ties have united to 
offer to my Government a bronze cast from the original model of the 
bust of Washington, which David d'Angers had modeled in 1827 for the 
Library of Congress and which was destroyed by fire in 1851. 

You are right in thinking that this bust, destined to replace the 
destroved marble, will be welcomed by the American nation, and I thank 
you for having chosen me as the interpreter of your feelings in this 
circumstance. 

I hasten to make your proposal known to my Government, who will, 
I feel certain, give it the answer it deserves. 

In the meantime, I avail myself of this opportunity to tell you that 

I have been deeply touched by the affectionate and graceful wording of 

your letter. I am happy to see that the ties of friendship which have for 

so long bound together our two countries have lost nothing of their 

strength, and I find pleasure in uniting my efforts to yours to make them 

closer still. 

Be so good, etc., 

Horace Porter. 

37 



III. 

PRESENTATION OF THE BUST TO THE 
AMBASSADOR. 



December 4, 1903. 

The Ambassador of the United States, accompanied by M. Henry 
Vignaud, first secretary of Embassy, visited to-day the studio of the sculp- 
tor, Louis Noel, where the Washington monument has been temporarily 
placed. 

M. Jouin offered the excuses of Messrs. de Rochambeau, de La Fayette, 
and de Grasse, who are out of town and are with him promoters of this 
homage. 

General Porter much admired the fine style of the bronze, the pedestal 
in precious marble, and the curiously disposed escutcheon within which 
will be placed the booklet containing the names of subscriptors. 

Madame Leferme, daughter of David d'Angers, was present during the 
Ambassador's visit. 
38 



IV. 

OFFER OF THE BUST TO THE GOVERNMENT OF 
THE UNITED STATES BY THE AMBASSADOR OF 
FRANCE AT WASHINGTON. 



Embassy of the French Repubuc 

TO THE United States, 
Washington, December ji, igoj. 

Mr. Secretary of State: By order of my Government, I have the 
honor to inform your excellency that a certain num'ber of French citi- 
zens, in their deep feeling of sympathy with the American nation and 
gratitude for the hearty reception accorded in 1902 to the Rochambeau 
mission, have thought that the best means of testifying to your country 
the sentiments by which they are animated would be to present it with 
a reproduction of Washington's bust, destroyed during the fire at the 
Capitol in 185 1. 

The bust had been offered to the United States by France in 1823, 
as the result of a national subscription. It was the work of David of 
Angers— a friend of liberty and sincere admirer of the great man whose 
features he was to reproduce — who strove to achieve likeness not only 
of his physical, but also, as far as feasible, his moral traits. 

The original model of the work, which was greatly admired at the time, 
was fortunately preserved at the David Museum at Angers, the birthplace 
of the artist. Count de Rochambeau, who, with the assistance of his 
friends, took the initiative of the subscription, was thus enabled to obtain 
a true reproduction of the destroyed piece of work, and my Government 
has just forwarded to me the bust with a marble stela, on which it is to 
rest. I inclose herewith a photograph of the monument, at present at the 
embassy. If the Congress be pleased to accept their gift the donors 
would wish to have that image of Washington erected at or near the 
place where the destroyed original stood. 

39 



40 Prese7itatio7i of a Bust of Washington. 

In pursuance of the instructions I have received, I have the honor to 
acquaint your excellency with this wish. I look upon this as the most 
agreeable duty — that of being on this occasion the intermediary of my 
fellow citizens with the Government of the United States. Their spon- 
taneous initiative once more demonstrates that, in spite of the lapse of 
time, the sentiment which of yore pervaded France in favor of the United 
States has not yet died out. I may be permitted to add that all in my 
country are convinced it will never die out. 

Be pleased to accept, etc., 

JUSSERAND. 



V. 



REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO THE 
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Department of State, 

Washington, January 8, 1904. 
The President: 

The undersigned, Acting Secretary of State, has the honor to lay 
before the President a translation of a note from the Ambassador of 
France with regard to the wish of certain French citizens to present to 
this Government a reproduction of the bust of Washington by David 
d'Angers, which the donors wish should be erected at or near the place 
where the original stood at the time of its destruction during the fire at 
the Capitol in 1851. 

The bust has been forwarded by the French Government to its 
Embassy in this city, where it now is. 

The sentiments which animate these French citizens in their action 
deserves the recognition of this Government, and I would respectfully 
suggest that a recommendation be made to Congress to accept the gift 
by joint resolution, with provision for its ceremonial installation. 
Respectfully submitted. 

Francis B. L,oomis, 

Acting Secretary of State. 
41 



VI. 

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE 
UNITED STATES. 

[Read and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations, with order to print.] 



To the Senate and House of Representatives: 

I transmit herewith a report from the Acting Secretary of State, with 
inclosure from the Ambassador of the French Republic, relative to the 
desire of certain French citizens to present to this Government a repro- 
duction of the' bust of Washington by David d'Angers, which the donors 
wish to have placed in the Capitol. 

I recommend that Congress accept this gift by joint resolution and 
tliat suitable provision be made for its ceremonial installation. 

Theodore Roosevei^t. 

White House, January 12, 1904. 
42 



VII. 

ACCEPTANCE BY THE CONGRESS— ORIGINAL 
TEXT. 



Public Resolution— No. 31. 

JOINT RESOLUTION, Accepting a reproduction of the bust of Washington from 
certain citizens of the Republic of France, and tendering the thanks of Congress 
to the donors therefor. 

Whereas Count de Rochanibeau, Marquis de Lafayette, Marquis de 
Grasse, Mr. Henry Jouin, and other citizens of France, have tendered 
to the Government of the United States a reproduction of the bust of 
Washington by David d' Angers, which was destroyed in the fire at the 
Capitol in 1851, to be placed in the Capitol of the United States: 
Therefore 

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled. That said gift is hereby 
accepted in the name of the People of the United States, and the thanks 
of Congress are tendered to the donors therefor. 

Sec. 2. That the Joint Committee on the Library are hereby instructed 
to make arrangements for the formal presentation of said gift to Con- 
gress on a day to be hereafter fixed by said committee, and that said 
committee shall cause said bust to be placed in an appropriate and 
conspicuous place in the Capitol building. 

Sec. 3. That the Secretary of State be directed to transmit a copy of 
this joint resolution to the donors, through the Government of the 
French Republic. 

Approved, April 28, 1904. 

43 



VIII. 

LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS TO THE BUST OF 

GEORGE WASHINGTON OFFERED 

TO THE UNITED STATES. 



AbovilIvE (Colonel Vicomte d'), commander of the One hundred and 
thirty-first Regiment of Infantry, 2, quai de la Madeleine, Orleans 
(Loiret). 

AlLRAUME (Ivudovic), historical painter, 80, boulevard Saint-Germain, 
Paris. 

BacourT (Comte E. Fourier de), 56, rue Cortambert, Paris. 

BiAiS (Emile), archivist and librarian of the city of Angouleme, 34, Rem- 
part de I'Est, Angouleme (Charente). 

BiiyivY (Robert de), secretary of the embassy, attache to cabinet of min- 
ister of foreign affairs, 14, avenue d'Antin, Paris. 

BouGUEREAU (William), historical painter, member of the Institute, 75, 
rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, Paris. 

Braun, (Gaston), 18, rue L,ouis-le-Grand, Paris. 

BrugerE (General), vice-president of the supreme council of war, 20, 
avenue Rapp, Paris. 

Cambon (Jules), ambassador of France to the Court of Spain, Embassy, 
Madrid (Spain). 

CiRCivE Saint-Maurice of the Young Workmen of Saint-Medard, 
Paris. 

ChrisTOPHLE (Albert), honorary governor of the Land Banks of France, 
88, avenue d'lena, Paris. 

C1.EMENT (Leon), 18, rue Louis-le-Grand, Paris. 

CroisET (Alfred), dean of the faculty of literature, member of the Insti- 
tute, 13, rue Cassette, Paris. 

Damiani (Simon), consular agent, Bastia (Corsica). 

David d'Angers (Robert), 40, rue de la Gare, Ve.sinet (Seine). 

DeI/AHAYE (Dominique), senator from Maine-et-Loire, rue Saumuroise, 
129, Angers. 

FoucARD, (Louis de Bousses de), professor at the National School of Fine 
Arts, 14 bis, rue Marbeuf, Paris. 

FouRNiER (Vice- Admiral), member of the supreme council of the navy, 
65, avenue Bosquet, Paris. 

Grandmaison (Baron Georges de), deputy from Maine-et-Loire, 106, 
boulevard Haussmann, Paris. 

44 



Pf-esenta/ion of a Bust of ]\^asJii)igton. 45 

GuiHEMiN (Jean), secretary of the embassy, assistant chief of the cabi- 
net of the minister of foreign affairs, 25, rue Fran9ois i'^'', Paris. 

Hagelin (C.-D.), consular agent, Cette (Herault). 

Hendecourt (Hemphill, Vicomtesse d'), 5, rue de Penthievre, Paris. 

HermitE (Colonel), commander of the Nineteenth Regiment of Artillery, 
Nimes (Gard). 

JACQUEMONT DU DoNjoN (Victor), Pouilly en Auxois (Cote-d'Or). 

JoUARD (Elisee), consular agent, Cognac (Charente). 

JUSSERAND (J.-J.), ambassador of France to the Government of the 
Republic of the United States, French Embassy, Washington, D. C. 

La Fayette (Comte de), 29 bis, rue Demours, Paris. 

Lagrave (Michel), commissary -general of the French Government at 
the exposition at St. Louis, loi, rue de Grenelle, Paris. 

LastEYRIE (Marquis de), 225, rue de I'Universite, Paris. 

LEFERME (Mme. ), nee Helene David d'Angers, 2, rue de Saint-P^ters- 
bourg, Paris. 

LouiS-NoiJL (Hubert), statuarj-, 108, rue de Vaugirard, Paris. 

Luc (H.-P.), doctor of medicine, 54, rue de Varenne, Paris. 

MONCHY (Donop de), 6, rue de I'Abbaye, Paris. 

PiSTOYE (M. et Mme. de), 98, boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris. 

PoiivLoiJE (Marquis de Saint-Mars de), captain of artillery, 3 bis, boule- 
vard Rocheplatte, Orleans (Loiret). 

Ramin (Henri), publisher, 56, rue Jacob, Paris. 

Rauune (Henri), architect of the Basilica of Montmartre, 8, rue de Tour- 
non, Paris. 

RiBOT (Alexandre), deputy from Pas-de-Calais, 6, rue de Tournon, Paris. 

RoCHAMBEAU (Marqui.se de), 88, rue de Miromesnil, Paris. 

ROCHAMBEAU (Marquise Philippe de), 8, place vSt. Venant, Tours (Indre- 
et-Loire). 

RoCHAMBEAU (Comtesse de), 56, avenue Victor-Hugo, Paris. 

ROCHAMBEAU (Vicomte de), 88, rue de Miromesnil, Paris. 

ROCHEBL.WE (Samuel), doctor of literature, professor at the National 
School of Fine Arts, 95, rue Denfert-Rochereau, Paris. 

Sauvaire-Jourdan (Lieutenant), 25, rue Montaigne, Paris. 

Segur (Marquis de), 45, avenue d'lena, Paris. 

vSiEGFRiED (Jules), former minister, 226, boulevard vSaint-Germain, Paris. 

SwARTE (Victor de), general treasurer, Lille (Nord). 

ViBERT (Gabriel), 48, avenue de Saint-Cloud, Versailles (Seine-et-Oise). 



RocHAMBEAU (Comte de), 56, avenue Victor-Hugo, Paris. 
La Fayette (Marquis de), 106, boulevard Haussmann, Paris. 
Grasse (Marquis de). Chateau de Becon, Courbevoie (vSeine). 
JouiN (Henry), secretary of the National School of Fine Arts, 15, quai 
Malaquais, Paris. 

o 






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